Yesterday, Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey blasted the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in an open letter to residents saying that Brampton’s “health care facilities are currently in crisis.” Mayor Jeffrey’s open letter comes in the wake of scathing media reports showing 4,352 patients have been admitted to the hallways at Brampton Civic Hospital.

Ontario PC Brampton South Candidate Prabmeet Sarkaria joined Mayor Jeffrey’s calls, and urged the Minister of Health to take immediate action, saying, “Hallway health care is treatment that no patient should expect, especially in Ontario. The Liberals have spent the last 14 years making cuts to our health care system, and Liberal MPPs in the Brampton area have failed to advocate for their community’s needs. Brampton deserves better.”

Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown and Ontario PC Health Critic Jeff Yurek have raised the occupancy issues at Brampton Civic Hospital at Queen’s Park during Question Period, including earlier in the week when Yurek said, “This government is responsible for Ontario’s hospitals suffering through four years of budget freezes. This government has continued to cut funding, pushing our hospitals to a breaking point. Now over 4,000 hallway patients at the Brampton Civic Hospital are paying the price.”

Mayor Jeffrey’s letter called for additional resources in one of Canada’s busiest emergency departments. She noted that she was worried about the “ability of our health care professionals to continue to sustain this pace without some serious intervention by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.” She also noted that Brampton’s health care infrastructure and operational funding did not keep pace with Brampton’s explosive growth.

“Mayor Jeffrey’s letter hits the nail on the head. It’s time for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to step in immediately and resolve this health care crisis.” concluded Sarkaria.